Hot air register



April 30, 1957 Filed April 12, 1954 W. N. KENNEDY ETAL HOT AIR REGISTER FIG. 3.

3 Sheds-Sheet 1 LEO BLOCK AT TORNE V IN WALDRON N. KENNEDY April 30, 1957 w. N. KENNEDY ETAL 2,790,376

HOT AIR REGISTER a She ets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1954 MERE w INVENTORS. WALDRON N. KENNEDY LEO BLOCK A T TORNE Y April 30, 1957 w. N. KENNEDY EI'AL 2,790,376

HOT AIR REGISTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 12, 1954 JNVENTORS. WAL DRON N. KENNEDY BY LEO BLOCK v ATTORNEY United States Patent i nor AIR REGISTER Waldron N. Kennedy, Baldwin Park, and Leo Block, Pasadena, Calif., assignors to Holly Manufacturing Company, Pasadena, Calif., a corporation of California Application April 12, 1954, Serial No. 422,403

2 Claims. (Cl. 98114) This invention relates to an improved hot air register and more specifically to a hot air register adapted to receive hot air which passes through the wall of a room to be heated. The invention may be employed in a variety of hot air outlets disposed in the wall of a room but has particular application to a wall heater such as that disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,602,441 to Hollingsworth et a1.

Many wall heaters have an upright duct in the shape of a tall, narrow box disposed within the wall of a room to be heated. An upright radiator tube is disposed within the duct and is adapted to receive hot flue gas from a burner below. The hot flue gas passes up through the radiator into a stack and then is exhausted to the atmosphere. The upright duct is provided with an opening near its bottom into which air from the room can enter. The

air in the space between the radiator and the duct is heated and rises to pass out a lateral duct connected to an opening in the upper end of the upright duct. The lateral duct extends toward an opening in the room wall and connects to a collar provided around a central opening in a hot air register, the collar and lateral duct forming a continuous conduit extending through the wall opening.

Ordinarily the walls of the lateral duct engage the edges of the opening in the room wall. Thus, there is a tendency for the hot lateral duct to heat the room construction employ combustible materials, standards have been established setting upper limits on the amount of temperature rise which can be tolerated in the wall. For example, the American Gas Association has set standards requiring that any duct conducting hot air through a' wall not increase the temperature of the wall surround ing the duct by more than F. above room temperature. For example, if the room temperature is maintained at 75, the temperature of the wall surrounding" thehot air duct must not exceed 165 F. In a typical heater the air passing through the lateral duct is at a temperature of to F., and the temperature of the radiator within the box which supplies the hot air is approximately 500 F. Thus the combined effect of the hot air passing through the lateral duct and the radiant heat from the radiator tends to raise the temperature of the conventional lateral duct passing through the wall by an amount considerably in excess of the allowed 90 F. rise. For example, wall heaters using conventional lateral ducts commonly produce a temperature rise exceeding 115 F., i. e. raise the wall temperature to more'than F. in a room at 75 F., and therefore do not meet the American Gas Association standards.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a lateral duct and associated register assembly which permits air in the room being heated to collar and the lateral duct and thus prevents excessive increases in wall temperature.

The present invention contemplates the use of a hot air register adapted to be mounted in an opening in a wall and receive hot air from a duct within the wall. A continuous admission conduit extends from the duct to a central opening in the register. Preferably the conduit is formed by a lateral duct which extends from an opening in the upright duct and is adapted to receive a collar disposed around a central opening in the register. The register collar and lateral duct have approximately the same cross-sectional shape and fit together to form the continuous admission conduit which extends through the wall opening from the room to the duct. The wall opening is substantially larger than either the lateral duct or the register collar, so that there is a space between the wall and the admission conduit. Means is provided for admitting room air into the lower port-ion of the space around the admission circuit; and means is provided for permitting the air to leave the space and thus prevent the adjacent portion of the wall from exceeding a predetermined value. 1

In a preferred form, the register periphery is provided with a lip extending toward the wall and is spaced from the wall by the lip. The lateral duct is provided with an outwardly turned flange on the end-remote from the upright duct. A laterally extending frame is disposed around the flange of the lateral -duct to fit snugly against the edges of the wallopening. The frame is provided with an inwardly turned flange which matches the outwardly turned flange on the lateral duct, so that the two flanges abut. A register having a central opening with a collar disposed around the opening is adapted to cover the wall opening, the collar fitting with the lateral duct to form' a conduit extending from theroom to the opening in the The perimeter of the registerframeis upright duct. provided with a lip which-extends toward the wall. A

suitable gasket or sealing means isdisposed within the" lip to effect a seal between the register and the wall. At

least one opening is provided intermediate the periphery of the register audits central opening so that may" circulate from the room into the annular space between the collar and the frame, around thecoll ar, and back into the room. With the preferred arrangement, no air is lost from the room to the opening.

Preferably the'lateral dimension of the frame is such that it can be reversed when used with a'dry wall, i e.,

a wall which is not as thick as a conventional plaster 1 wall.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more clearly understood in the light of the following detailed Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lateral duct showing I the outwardly turned flange around its periphery;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the frame showing .the

inwardly turned flange around its periphery;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2,

showing how the frame may be reversed when the in-' vention is used with a dry wall;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of an alternate embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 5. a hot air register 10 is adapted to deliver air to a room from an upright hot air supply duct 12 disposedwithin a wall 14 of a room. The

Will comprises a layer of plaster 15 and a layer of sheet.

Paptented Apr. 30, .1957

outside through the wallform of p rock 16. Th upright h a ri v nbeasspsiated.w thany conventionalso urce of hot air; for example, the upright duct may be used with, a wall heater of the type r e i U' B ismtNc- ..6. 4tl5 u s s2 Ha lingsworth et al. The upright duchsnrroundsa radiator; 6 17. vnthrcugh h h otfi ea s xhausts o. he tmo phere The burner hich supplies the-ilue;ga s tqthe radiator. formsv no part of this inventipnandjs, notfillus: trated. A rectangular opening 1 8 is provided in the portion of the upright duct adjacent the wall of the room to be heated. Alaterally; extending lip 29 surrounds the opening in the upright duct. A: lateral du9t22 is adapted to makea friction fitover the lip- Tha end, of the lateral ductremote from the upright; duct. is provided,- with anl outwardly turned flange 23 and extends-toward a rec: tangular wall opening ZA w-hich is substantiallylarger than the cross-sectional area of; the. lateral duct. A laterally extending frame 2 6,. having aninwardly turned flange 28 which matchesand fitsagainst. the outwardly turned flange of the lateral duct, is adapted to make a snug fit with the edges of the opening in thewall of the room to eifect a closure between the wall opening andthelateral duct. Theframe and the lateral duct coluld be integrally formed to provide a singlernember having a Z-shaped cross-section; but the use of two elementsinstead of a single member gives the two following a ilvantagesz (l) The rate of heat transfer from the. lateral duct to the frame is less when they, are separate elements; thisreduces the temperature rise of the wall adjacent the frame; and (2). the frame may be reversed, (as explained below. in conjunction with Fig. 6), for .use in a dry wall. A suitable gasket (not shown). may be installed between the flanges on the frame and lateral duct. to reduce heat transfer between these twomembers; evenfurther; but our experience has not indicated this to'belnecessary.

The frame and lateral duct areheld in position by means. of screws 31, 32 passing through matching holes .33, 34 in their respective flanges, the screwsengaging in screw. clips35, 36, respectively, provided in theupright. duct,

A rectangularly-shaped register-.38 is adapted'to fit over the wall opening. The register is provided With-a lip 40around its periphery'which extendstowardthewall. A reetangularly-shaped register collar 42 is disposed around a similarly-shaped opening 44 in the centralp'ortion of the register. Thecross-sectional shape of' the collar is such that it makes a friction fit insidethelateral duct. An annular space :45 is thus enclosed by :a hollow ring formedbetween the. frame 26 and-the collar.

A sponge rubber gasket 46 is disposed in the lip of the. register and effects a seal between the.wal1 andthe register periphery.- Horizontallouvers 48: inclined inwardly and-upwardly. at an angle of approximately 45 extend across the central opening of the register. Conveniently, the register is formed of a single piece ofsheet metal and thelouversiareform'ed by stamping them fromthe, sheet. Horizontal upper and lower elongated cooling openings 50, 51 are provided in the register between-its 1 upper and lower edges, respectively,and the centralopening. Conveniently, 'thesef cooling openings are. also stamped to form :louvers extending upwardly and .inwardly from the .frame at an angle of approximately 45.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 1 through 5 is adapted for use in plaster walls, i. e., walls inch to Vs inch thick. In operation, hot air rises in the upright duct and passes through the lateralduct', the register collar, and out the central opening in the register-into the room. The lateral duct and the collar within the duct areheated by e hot a r nd also y di t cn roina hot a a withinthe upright duct. Relatively cool room air is drawn in the bottom cooling opening in thelregister and passes into the annular space"betweenthgcollariand the me; h room ai ita l ts ma olmd h ri lsa a nd'i a ls' l m fis l1 1 s. he annu a spar The warmed-room air then exits out the upper cooling opennd' ma sest tached to the-uprightfduct. With the arrangement shownin- Fig. 7, room-airisiasia hars i tati e. th f amema a t h s n against the edges of the wall opening and against the flange on the lateral duct, none of the room air is lost up the interior of the wall to the outside. The lip around the register periphery spaces the register from the wall suiiiciently to prevent hot, air, from making immediate contact with the wall adjacent the hot air register. The

-; gasket within the lipmakes. a tight seal; against the wall and prevents any hot air from leaking out along the wall. This -is de'sirable to prevent staining ofthe wall by, direct contactwith hotairf Fig. 6 illustrates the use of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 through 5 when the hohair register. is installed for use in a dry wall, i. e., a wall in whichthe base material, e. g. sheet rock, is covered with paint instead of plaster. Such a wall is from inch to /2 inch thick. In this arrangement the identical elements are used and the-operation; is the same. The principal difierence. is

that; the gframelfiisuturned: around .sothat when its associated flange is-placed; adjacent the matching flange on the lateral; duct, the frame extends from thesflange into, the walhinsteadgof; toward the room. Thus,the laterally extending shouldendoes ,not extend outinto the. room and reyent the;gri 1l:frame from making, contactwith the, wall, yet an eifective seal is still established between the lateral duct and; the edgeofithe wall opening. The yannular spaqo fifitarpundathe collar is smaller, but is still e-enoughtte permit adequate; circulation ofroom-air round the ellar.

Fig.57;illustratespnzaltcrnate embodiment of theinvention whlch uses fewer; elements, atthe sacrificeof the loss of, sp ine;rg: orn v to the outside. 1 Like; reference characters;. are-used to;.indica te corresponding. elementsas deri est a Rig -L1 th aughfi.

A lateral dpct fiil isidisposed around thelip 20 of. the. opening .in the, upright duct.- 12. Preferably, the end of ;th e lateral- -duet; adjacent the, upright ductis providedwith; an outwardly turnedflangefil which is adapted to beattaqheda o the; upright duct, bymeans of screws '64,

65; which fit -int o;c lips,-;6v6,, 67, respectively, provided .on.

the upright duct. The lateral duct extends through the. Pa n n;. e:we he dimensions of the. wall opening :beipgsubstantiallytgreater than those of, the lateral duet smthat an annularnspece fi risqformed around the. duct. A rectangular; register 69: having a rectangular central daated; rfi oyer. he-w 1l. p ng-- A i ration a p shame wall. Lqilyers 48 are. disposed across the reg erQcentfal opening in the .same manner-as that. deseifibed abo elfiorjithe register 38." A horizontal cooling isfornied in thefiupperfpart ofthe register upperledge audits central opening; The cooling openin'gfiis formed in a manner, identical ,to that describedfabovetorjcooling opening 5!) in the register'38. A, strip of gasket'material 7 6 .is disposed, in theregister lipadjacent the upper and two side edges to effect a seal between that portion of the register and the wall.

Preierablyfthe register is held in position byv means of screw clips 80; 81 .at-

drawn into.-..the-space-.74between the -'lower-portion; of the;;.regi.sten;andstheradjacenL-portion of the wall; The

room air;-;iiows ;into;fl e;annular. space 68, up around: thesi teria tla and la er l. duct... and thensp t as h ygth rro aa 'fiows o tfits s nacp n ng am kept from becoming dangerously hot, but some air is lost from the room to the outside.

The gasket may be omitted and the portion of the register lip along the upper edge of the register reduced in length so that it provides a space between the upper portion of the register and the adjacent wall. With this provision, the cooling opening 75 of Fig. 7 could be omitted and cool air from the room would then enter the space 74 at the bottom of the register and exit at a similar space at the top of the register. However, this arrangement should be limited to those cases Where the wall is finished with a material which is not readily stained by direct contact with hot air, or where staining of the wall is not objectionable.

We claim:

1. In heating apparatus adapted for mounting in an opening in a wall of a room to admit hot air from a supply duct within the wall, the combination comprising a lateral duct spaced from the edges of the wall opening and extending from an opening in the supply duct toward the wall opening, a laterally extending frame disposed to fit against the edges of the wall opening, the frame having an inwardly turned flange to bear detachably against the lateral duct so that the frame and its flange seal the space between the lateral duct and the edges of the wall opening, the exterior portion of the frame being substantially straight and free of any irregularities so that the frame can be arranged to extend away from the flange toward the room to accommodate walls of a first predetermined thickness, and be arranged to extend away from the flange toward the supply duct to accommodate walls of less thickness, a register adapted to fit over the wall opening, the register having a central opening, conduit means connecting the lateral duct to the central opening so that a space is formed between the conduit means and the frame, means for admitting air from the room into a lower portion of the space, and means for permitting air to pass from an upper portion of the space into the room.

2. In heating apparatus adapted for mounting in an opening in a wall of a room to admit hot air from a supply duct within the wall, the combination comprising a lateral duct spaced from the edge of the wall opening and extending from an opening in the supply duct toward the wall opening, the lateral duct having an outwardly extending flange spaced from the supply duct, a laterally extending frame disposed to fit against the edges of the wall opening, the frame having an inwardly turned flange to seat detachably against the flange on the lateral duct so that the space between the lateral duct and the edges of the wall opening is sealed, the'exterior portion of the frame being substantially straight and free of any irregularities so that the frame can be arranged to extend away from the flange toward the room to accommodate walls of a first predetermined thickness, and be arranged to extend away from the flange toward the supply duct to accommodate walls of less thickness, a register adapted to fit over the wall opening, the register having a central opening, conduit means connecting the lateral duct to the central opening so that a space is formed between the conduit means and the frame, means for admitting air from the room into a lower portion of the space, and means for permitting air to pass from an upper portion of the space into the room.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.l2,316 Tuttle Feb. 7, 1905 87,560 Gommenginger et al. Mar. 9, 1869 291,428 Trotter Jan. 1, 1884 380,145 Springer Mar. 27, 1888 574,675 Foster Jan. 5, 1897 685,157 Lobach Oct. 22, 1901 884,678 Owens Apr. 14, 1908 914,791 Clark Mar. 9, 1909 943,298 Brown Dec. 14, 1909 1,567,089 Symonds Dec. 29, 1925 1,585,116 Sala May 18, 1926 2,255,616 Heasley et al. Sept. 9, 1941 

